“NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, plus information and highlights. The Pass will be published weekdays to preview that evening’s games. Friday editions will include weekend information.

Toronto and Boston meet in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Maple Leafs erased a 3-1 series deficit to the Bruins in the First Round last year, but fell 7-4 to the Bruins in a decisive Game 7 in Boston. John Tavares signed with Toronto in the offseason and scored 47 goals, the most by a Maple Leaf since the 1993-94 season (Dave Andreychuk; 53). Auston Matthews scored 37 goals for Toronto despite missing 14 games due to injury. Boston boasts one of the best top lines in hockey, as Brad Marchand (100 points), Patrice Bergeron (79 points) and David Pastrnak (38 goals in 66 games) posted career seasons. Boston went 3-1-0 vs. Toronto this year.

Washington is looking to become only the fourth repeat Stanley Cup champion in the last 30 years. Alex Ovechkin led the NHL in goals with 51, the eighth time he has reached the 50-goal plateau. The Caps have reached the Second Round in four consecutive postseasons, the longest active streak in the NHL. Carolina posted an impressive 31-12-2 record after New Year’s Eve, registering the third-most points in that span behind Tampa and St. Louis. Sebastian Aho posted a career-high 30 goals and 83 points. This marks the Hurricanes’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2009. Washington went 4-0-0 against Carolina this season.

After finishing last in the NHL in 2017, Colorado has rebounded to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The Avs had three 30-goal scorers – Nathan MacKinnon (41), Gabriel Landeskog (34), and Mikko Rantanen (31) – for the first time since 1995-96. Colorado closed out the season with an 8-1-2 record in its last 11 games. Calgary earned the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 1990 with a high-octane offense, scoring the second-most goals per game (3.52) in 2018-19. Five Flames reached 70 points, including 25-year-old American Johnny Gaudreau, who led Calgary in goals (36) and points (99). Calgary went 3-0-0 vs. Colorado this season.

NBC Sports has released “Pick Your Poison,” a series of digital shorts hosted by Jeremy Roenick where NHL stars have to make their picks on a variety of topics. Following are the stars that are featured in the “Pick Your Poison” series:

The “Pick Your Poison” episodes with Lundqvist, Giroux, Kane and O’Reilly are linked above. The episodes with Pavelski, Atkinson, and Matthews will be released during the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NBC SPORTS RADIO ANNOUNCES FIRST ROUND BROADCAST SCHEDULE

In conjunction with Westwood One, NBC Sports Radio will broadcast game coverage of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including every game of the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. First Round on NBC Sports Radio continues on Monday, April 15, with Game 3 between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. Following is the remainder of NBC Sports Radio and Westwood One’s First Round broadcast schedule:

Date

Coverage

Time (ET)

Commentators

Mon., April 15

Game 3 – (1) Nashville at (WC1) Dallas

9:15 p.m.

Ralph Strangis, Colby Cohen

Thur., April 18

Game 5 – (3) Vegas at (2) San Jose

TBD

Ralph Strangis, Jim Fox

Sat., April 20

Game 5 – (WC1) Carolina at (1) Washington

TBD

Sam Rosen, Billy Jaffe

NBCSPORTS.COM STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB SERVES AS HOME FOR SCORES, SCHEDULES AND HIGHLIGHTS

The Stanley Cup Playoff Hub on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will be the home for everything fans need to know about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stanley Cup Playoff Hub will feature up-to-the-minute scores, updated schedules, and highlights following the conclusion of each game.

In addition, ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports.com will provide previews and recaps throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. ProHockeyTalk writers Sean Leahy, James O’Brien, Adam Gretz and Scott Billeck will deliver comprehensive coverage for the postseason. Following each night’s games, The Buzzer will recap the action and top moments of the evening around the league. Each morning, The Wraparound will set the table for that night’s slate of games.

COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE

Comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be provided daily via NBC Sports Regional Networks, available in more than 35 million U.S. households, as well as the MyTeams by NBC Sports app. NBC Sports Regional Networks serve the hometown fans of the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals, and Bruins Insider Joe Haggerty, Caps Insiders Brian McNally and J.J. Regan, and Sharks Reporters Chelena Goldman and Marcus White will provide insight and analysis during First Round game coverage, pre- and post-game shows, online and on the myTeams app.

For teams that advance past the first round, NBC Sports Regional Networks will deliver extensive pre- and post-game coverage as well as breaking news and analysis throughout each team’s playoff run.

STREAMING COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.